The Colors In Between
by extremeArtist
Summary: It's been two years since the battle between the two heroes to determine the fate of what lies between the black and white, the colors in between, took place. In Aspertia City, Mei begins her own journey. She soon realizes that old enemies are waiting in the shadows for revenge. Old heroes reemerge, and friends become more than just...friends.
1. Chapter 1

The Colors In Between

Chapter 1

_It had been two years since the battle between the Black and White Warriors. After the battle, both Warriors disappeared. The Unova Region is significantly different.  
Now, in Aspertia City, a new hero's story is unfolding._

"You're gonna have to run faster than THAT Mei!"  
"Shut UP Hugh!" Mei huffed as she and her childhood friend ran through the streets.  
"If you don't hurry, I'm gonna get the better Pokémon!" he teased.

Mei urged her legs to run faster as she sprinted side by side with her friend Hugh.  
"Do you think Touko did this when she started her journey?" Mei suddenly asked.  
"Why don't you ask her?" Hugh replied.  
Mei grinned in playful annoyance. Everyone knew Touko had mysteriously left the Unova Region about a year and a half ago. She was spotted in foreign regions not long after she left. In an interview, she said she was going to catch and achieve all the Final Forms of the Legendary Pokémon. Mei's mind flashed back to what Touko had said Final Forms were.  
_"The Final Form is exclusive to only Legendary's. It allows the Trainer to tap into and use the special powers and abilities that Pokémon possesses, like time travel. In order to achieve it, one must catch a Legendary Pokémon and make it yield to them. It was him who discovered it."_  
She hadn't been seen since the interview.  
Touko was widely known for her achievement of the Pitch Black Final Form while Zekrom was still in its stone state. It allowed her to defeat Team Plasma's King. Throughout the entire interview, Touko never mentioned the King's name: N Harmonia. Mei was able to tell that Touko was saying that it was N who discovered Final Forms. She had achieved and honed hers much faster than he had. But what Mei didn't understand was why Touko was willing to tell so little about N.  
"There she is!" Hugh's shout snapped Mei out of her thoughts.  
They were approaching a dock overlooking a river. A young woman was standing there.  
"Hey! Bianca!" Mei shouted. The woman turned around. She had short blonde hair and wore a green beret with a white bow on it. Red glasses were perched on her nose. She had a puffy orange jacket on over a white shirt with a black undershirt and green capris that stopped just below her knees, with orange shoes that also had bows on them. Black bows. She had a thing for bows. Bows, orange, green, and white.  
"Ah!" She smiled and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I'm so glad we could meet up!"  
She pushed the button on the side of the box she was holding.  
"Ta-da! The Pokémon that will become your partner is here in this box! Pick whichever one you want!"  
Mei's eyes shone with excitement. This was it! Her journey was beginning!  
She stared at the Poke' Ball in her hand. It contained Oshawott. Mei had loved Oshawott since she was little. The fact that Touko had chosen Oshawott when she'd started her journey made Mei love them even more.  
"Hey, Mei! Let's have a battle!" Hugh suddenly exclaimed. Mei started. But she wasn't about to back down from the challenge.  
"OK! But I'm gonna kick your butt!"  
Hugh grinned. He was very passionate about Pokémon battles.  
_Not to mention a doting brother to that adorable little sister of his._ Mei though fondly.  
"GO! Snivy!" Hugh shouted. A green snake-like creature popped out.  
"OOOOOH!" Bianca squealed. "Cheren chose a Snivy when we started our journey! I chose Tepig!"  
"And Touko chose Oshawott," Mei stated. She didn't shout in excitement like she usually did when talking about her hero. She was aware that Bianca hadn't seen her BFF in over two years. She was worried it would be a sore subject.  
"Yeah! She did!" Bianca chirped.  
Mei sighed in relief. Maybe she could talk to Bianca later.  
"You're spacing out again Mei!" Hugh called.  
"Oh right! GO! Oshawott!" Mei called.  
The little otter Pokémon burst out of the ball.  
Ladies first," Hugh said.  
"Hmph! Your loss! Oshawott! Use Tail Whip!" Oshawott wagged its tail cutely. Hugh's Snivy looked down, distracted.  
"Snivy! Pound!"  
The Snivy snapped out of it, then leapt into the air, throwing itself at Oshawott.  
"Dodge it, then use Tackle!" Mei commanded.  
Oshawott jumped out of the way in a backward flip, then launched itself into a Tackle attack.  
The force of the attack sent to duo skidding about ten feet back. Bianca shrieked and jumped out of the way.  
"Careful!" she called, pushing her glasses up the rim of her nose.  
"You can do it Snivy! Pound it again!"  
Mei said nothing. Her Oshawott dodged the hit, then doubled back into a finishing Tackle attack.  
Hugh's Snivy couldn't take it. It fainted.  
"AWWWW YEAH! We won!" Mei shouted. Her Oshawott jumped up into her arms.  
"You were just GREAT out there Oshawott!" She looked at Hugh and Snivy.  
"You two rock too!"  
"Oh shut up Mei," Hugh said, grinning. He returned his defeated Snivy to its Poké Ball.

"Wow, Mei, you're really good!" Bianca said.  
She moved towards Oshawott to heal him.  
"You battle just like Touko," she said softly.  
"I-I do?" Mai asked, surprised.  
"Yep. Your style is uncannily like hers. I wonder how she is."

None of them noticed a figure behind a tree not far away.

_"So that person chose Oshawott too. And Bianca is right about this Mei's fighting style."_

Before anyone had time to notice, the figure was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"And THIS is where you get your Pokémon healed!" Bianca said.

Mei listened politely. She had been to the Pokémon Center several times before so she would know where to go. But Bianca seemed very enthusiastic about the about guiding her around, and Mei didn't want to be rude.

"OK! I think that's about it!" Bianca said. She and Mei walked outside.

Mei's mom and Hugh's little sister were waiting for them outside.

"Oh! There you are Mei! Oh! You chose Oshawott! It's so cute!"

Hugh's little sister peeped out from behind. She looked shyly at Oshawott. He turned and saw her. She ducked behind Mei's mom again. Oshawott waddled over to her. He unclipped his scallop from his stomach and started tossing it around.

"So, Hugh then-" Mei cut off, noticing her Oshawott dancing around.

"Aww, what are you doing, baby?" she said.

Hugh's sister began to clap her hands happily.

She looked up at Mei.

"You take good care of Oshawott, OK? He's cute and funny!" she asked.

Mei ruffled Hugh's sister's head.

"You bet I will! I'll take special care of all my friends!" she replied.

Hugh's sister looked up at her with huge eyes.

Mei smiled.

"My Oshawott seems to have taken a liking to you," she said.

"Like my big brother to you?" Hugh's sister asked.

Mei blushed. "W-Wha?!"

"My big brother says you're purty," the little girl continued. "He says you have nice hair and um…a nice-MMPH!"

She was cut off by Hugh, who had heard her and come running up from behind.

"Silly little sister, always telling jokes!" he said, flustered.

Mei stared at High and blushed some more.

_I'm…pretty? No…she must be joking. I'm not pretty…_ she thought sadly.

She looked up at Hugh again, but he was gone. She looked around.

"You were lost in thought again. Hugh said he was heading to Flocessy Town, dear." Mei's mom said.

"Oh yes, before you go…here's a Town Map." She handed Mei two maps.

"Two?" Bianca said, looking a little confused.

"One's for Hugh, but he took off so fast I didn't get a chance to give it to him," Mei's mom explained.

"I'll deliver it to him," Mei volunteered.

"That's very sweet of you, dear.

Mei, with her Oshawott by her side, ran off to Route 20.

A warm breeze swept through the Route, blowing flower petals into the air.

Mei inhaled deeply. The air was cool and fresh.

Before she could take another step, however, she heard a voice.

"Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeei!"

It was Bianca.

She caught up to Mei and bent over, out of breath.

"Geez, you move fast!" she puffed.

She finally got her breath back and stood up.

"I forgot! I need to teach you how to catch Pokémon!"

Mei sweat-dropped. She knew how to catch Pokémon.

"First, you need t-" Bianca was cut off by a ruckus. Oshawott had wandered into the tall grass himself, and ran into a Purrloin.

"Oh, DAYUM! Bianca! Give me a Poke' Ball!" Mei shouted.

Startled, Bianca handed her one. Mei hurled it at the Purrloin. With a flash of red light, it disappeared into the ball. The Poke' Ball shook once, twice, three times. Then it was still.

Mei leaped into the air.

"We caught our first Pokémon!" she shouted happily.

She let the Purrloin back out.

"From now, on, your name is Nepeta!"

Nepeta cocked her head, then mewed.

She mewed again, and pressed herself against Mei's leg.

"D'awwwww! You are so CUUUUUUUTE!" Mei squealed. She scratched Nepeta behind the ears. Nepeta purred loudly.

Oshawott peered out of the grass and at Nepeta. He stepped out and cautiously walked closer. He reached out a paw and mimicked Mei.

Nepeta turned and looked at him and purred.

Bianca watched two converse. She turned and looked at Mei.

"It's seems you already know how to catch Pokémon," she commented.

"I'm sorry," Mei said quickly. "I should've let you. You seemed excited to-"

"No! It's OK! The more you know when you begin, the better!" Bianca assured her.

"I'd better go and deliver this map to Hugh." Mei said.

"Oh yeah, right! See you later!" Bianca called as Mei continued off again.

"Oh look! There's Flocessy Town!" Mei said excitedly, pointing. She started to run.

"Hey, you!" a voice called.

Startled, Mei looked around.

"Up here!" the voice said.

Mei looked up a looming cliff. Cutting through the blinding sun, was a tall man with red hair.

He jumped down the cliff.

"Nice to meet you. I'm-"

"Oh my God! You're Alder!" Mei cut him off in excitement.

"Why yes! Yes I am!" he said, smiling.

"I saw your battle with Touko! It was amazing!" she continued.

Alder stroked his chin, closed his eyes, and smiled.

"Ah yes. Quite the battle. I didn't stand a chance against her," he said.

"Oh yes. I'm Mei, by the way," Mei stuck out her hand.

Alder reached out his hand and shook it.

"Pleased to meet you, Mei. Now where are headed?" he asked.

"I'm on my way to give this Town Map to my friend, Hugh," Mei explained.

"What does he look like?" Alder asked.

"He has spiky blue hair-" Mei began.

"Ah! Yes, I saw him," Alder interrupted. "He seemed to be in a big hurry. And he was blushing rather hard," Alder said thoughtfully. "Mutterin' something."

Mei turned slightly pink. He was still blushing about what his sister said.

"Anyway, I saw him heading towards Flocessy Ranch. Maybe you can find him there," Alder said.

"OK! I'll look there. Thank you, Mr. Alder!" Mei called as she sprinted towards the ranch.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Geez. Where is that guy?" Mei muttered.

She looked up at the sign overhead. It read _Flocessy Ranch_. Mei looked past the sign. A barn stood

by a forest, the leaves glistening in the sun. Mareep wandered lazily through the fields. Mei walked

through the entrance and looked around. Mei huffed in annoyance. Why must Hugh always run off so fast?

"Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeei !" a voice called, getting louder every second.

"Oi what the-" _CRASH!_ Hugh careened onto Mei and sent both of them tumbling to the ground.

"Sup, Donuts?" Hugh asked. Mei squirmed under him.

"You know Pinecone, you can't exactly try to act cool while on top of someone. Specifically me. Get off."

Hugh sat up.

"OOF! Get off me you idiot! I can't breathe!"

"Fine, fine," Hugh said. He got off. Mei scrambled to her feet and dusted herself off.

Hugh reached up and squeezed Mei's hair bun.

"You are SUCH a buzz kill, Donuts," he said, grinning.

"Stop that, Hugh! Don't touch my hair! It takes ten minutes just to put up one bun!" Mei said.

Hugh reached up and grabbed her other hair bun.

"Hugh!" Mei protested.

"I'm gonna ruin your hair!" he teased.

"No!" Mei reached up and ruffled his hair.

"If that's how it's gonna be, then BOTH of our hairstyles are going down!" she declared.

"Waaaaah! Mei, don't! It takes at least 20 minutes to spike my hair!" Hugh protested.

Mei ruffled vigorously. Hugh squeezed her hair buns harder.

"Oi! Can you kids help us?" a voice called.

Hugh and Mei froze A couple of Pokémon Breeders were heading in their direction. A Herdier was

on their heels. The couple came to a halt in front of the two teens.

"Are…we…interrupting something?" the man asked uncertainly.

"Ack! No!" Hugh said hurriedly. "Is there something we can help you with?"

"Actually, yes. I lost my other Herdier. It must've wandered off. I'm a little worried…"

"A little worried?! Your Herdier could be gone forever!" Hugh shouted.

He took off. Mei watched him go. Why had he suddenly flared up like that? The Breeder looked puzzled.

"It always plays around the ranch. Why'd he'd get so mad?" he asked.

Mei turned to the man.

"I'm sorry, sir. He's a little…intense." she apologized.

Mei rushed off in the direction Hugh had gone. She found him searching in a patch of trees.

"Oh! Mei! You go search that area! Herdier…where are you?"

Mei took off. After minutes of searching, she heard a bark.

"Shut up, you dumb dog!" she heard a furious voice whisper.

_Oh no._ Mei sprinted around the corner and came across a tiny clearing.

At the end of it were a Herdier and a man in black clothing. The man had red hair and a black

mask over his mouth. He reminded Mei of a pirate. On his chest he wore an emblem shaped like a

shield that bore a P and a Z on it.

"Team Plasma!" Mei gasped.

"Yeah, I'm part of Team Plasma! You've heard of it right?" the man asked with a sneer.

"Of COURSE I've heard of it! But Touko whipped your stupid butts and you disbanded! So what are you doing stealing Pokémon again?!" Mei said angrily.

"Touko! You mean that cursed Black Warrior!? Yeah, she beat us two years ago, but we're coming

back with an even greater purpose! And we'll crush anyone who gets in our way!" the Grunt

declared.

He sent out a Sweaddle in a flash of light.

"Bug Bite!" the Grunt yelled.

The Bug Pokémon jumped into the air and hurled itself at Mei.

Mei froze in horror as the Pokémon came closer. She braced herself…

Suddenly, a girl came rushing out of nowhere.

She held a katana in a black sheath in one hand and a Poke' Ball in the other.

She sent out a Swanna.

"Feathers! Hurricane!" she yelled. The Swanna whipped up vicious winds with its wings and hurled

them at the Sweaddle. It fainted almost instantaneously. The girl landed on the ground. Mei was a

ble to get a good look at her.

The girl looked about 16 or 17, with light brown, almost dirty blonde hair that was shorter in the

back. She had a black jacket on over a purple shirt. She wore a jean skirt over black leggings, and

black boots. Her deep blue eyes were piercing.

Mei stared in wonder. The girl continued to glare at the Team Plasma Grunt.

"Get. Out," she said. Her voice was low and commanding.

The Grunt had looked startled at the girl's strength, but quickly regained his courage.

"NO ONE messes with Team Plasma!" he shouted.

The girl reached towards the sword at her waist. She unsheathed it and inch or so. The blade gleamed.

The Grunt threw up his hands.

"W-whoa! No need to get feisty! I'll leave! I didn't want this Herdier anyway!"

"Then scram, you Team Plasma trash," the girl said dangerously.

I-I will!" he said.

The girl turned and looked at Mei out of the corner of her eye. Then she turned her head and walked off.

The Grunt took off. He dashed past Mei, and past Hugh, who had just arrived. Hugh looked alarmed.

"Mei!" he said. He ran over to her. "Are you OK?" he asked frantically.

Mei let herself get helped to her feet. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Who was that?" Hugh asked.

"A Team Plasma Grunt," Mei answered.

"What?! How can that be? The disbanded two years ago!" Hugh said in surprise.

"I have no idea. Anyway, he apparently stole the Herdier," Mei said.

"What?! Typical Plasma!" Hugh said. He seemed extremely angry.

Mei put her hand on Hugh's shoulder.

"Hugh?" she asked uncertainly.

Hugh brushed her hand off. "I'm fine Mei!" he said angrily.

Mei looked startled and hurt. Hugh noticed. He put his hand on Mei's shoulder.

"I'm sorry about that, Mei," he apologized. Mei nodded.

"Anyway, I need to go. My team needs to be trained some more."

"You mean your team of one?" Mei asked teasingly.

"Yep!" Hugh said. He ran off. "See ya!" he yelled over his shoulder.

Mei waved good-bye. She set off back to Flocessy Town, but she couldn't stop thinking about that mysterious girl.

Who was she? Did she know Team Plasma? Why did she have a katana? All Mei DID know was that

the girl was incredibly strong. She could tell from her Swanna, and the look in her eyes.

Mei hoped she would see the girl again.

She would.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Mei lay on her back by a stream on Route 20, listening to her music. The song was a good one. It was from an album called "An Ideal Truth".

Most of the songs had the violin, piano, and techno stuff. Mei guessed mixing gear was used. Meh. It didn't matter, and was hardly important.

What was important was that Team Plasma had shown up again after two years. Mei thought back to the broadcast that changed Unova.

"Mei! Come here quickly!" her mom called.

Mei looked up from her book.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"It's Touko! She won!"

Mei leapt up from her bed and raced into the kitchen.

She stared in excitement at the TV.

A girl with long, wavy brown hair was on the screen. She was covered in dust, and had several cuts on her arms, legs and face. She carried a

pitch black sword in her right hand.

Mei squinted at the image. Touko's eyes were red, and her eyes had grief swimming in them. They looked as if they were recovering from an initial shock.

"Touko! Touko! What happened?" an excited reporter asked.

Touko didn't answer her. She just kept walking.

"Where's N Harmonia?" another asked.

Tears welled up in Touko's eyes. She blinked hard and forced them back. She looked up.

"Gone."

"And Ghetsis?" the press asked.

"He escaped," she simply said.

"What?! What if he tries to revive Team Plasma?" a third reporter asked in alarm.

"That creep won't DARE try anything as long I'm in this region," Touko said quietly.

The sea of reporters closed in on Touko. Microphones and cameras pressed at her face.

"Out of the way! Move! Now!" a voice yelled.

A boy with short dark hair forced his way through the crowd.

"Move!" he shouted again.

When the crowd did not recede, he sent out his Serperior in a bright flash of light.

"Back off!" the boy hollered.

The mob of people backed away.

One person shouted, "You don't have the right to keep us from filming!"

"Maybe. But YOU don't have the right to force Touko to answer questions she obviously doesn't want to talk about!" the boy retorted.

Touko looked at the boy and muttered something. Mei was able to read her lips.

_"__Thank you Cheren,"_ Touko said.

_"__Don't mention it. They're wrong to do this. You're tired," _Cheren replied.

_"__Speaking of tired…"_ Touko's knees suddenly gave way. Cheren rushed up and put her arm around his shoulder, supporting her. Cameras flashed.

"HEY!" Cheren yelled angrily.

Touko reached out her hand at the crowd. It suddenly glowed blue. Several cameras exploded. People shouted in surprise. Touko grinned.

_"__Nice,"_ Cheren complimented her. Touko shrugged.

"Toukiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" a voice abruptly called. A green hat was pushing its way through the throng of people.

"Bianca!" Touko said.

"Oh my gosh, I was so worried!" Bianca said.

She put Touko's other arm across her shoulder.

The trio started towards the edge of the crowd. Near the end of the sea of people, there were less reporters and more Trainers.

The camera turned back towards the reporters.

"Well, you saw it here first. Touko has kept Unova's peace. We are still together with our beloved Pokémon. Be thankful that Touko was here and stood up to Team Plasma."

Mei closed her eyes. If it wasn't for Touko, she wouldn't be a Trainer right now. Mei looked down at her Oshawott, who was snoozing beside

her. If Touko hadn't won that day, Mei wouldn't be with her Oshawott or Nepeta. She would always be eternally grateful to Touko for her

bravery. Mei leaned back again, thinking back to the day Touko had disappeared. No one knew why she left. Mei had no idea, either. But

she had a suspicion…

Mei swiftly sat up.

"We need to get to the Gym!" she exclaimed. Oshawott and Nepeta looked up at her.

"You ready?" she asked them. They nodded eagerly.

She returned them to their Poke Balls and hurried off back towards Aspertia City.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Oh! Mei! Wait up!" It was Alder. Mei turned around and looked at the former Champion.

"Yes, Mr. Alder?"

"Come to my house! I wanna show you somethin'!"

_Wha? But I wanted to challenge the Gym…_

Mei trailed behind Alder until they reached his house. Inside were two young children.

"I want you to battle them," Alder said.

"What? That's a little random…" Mei said. But she sent out Oshawott anyway.

The boy came forward.

"I'm Seymour! Go! Pansear!" A little red monkey burst out in a flash of light. Oshawott defeated it

easily with a squirt of his Water Gun.

"Aww. I lost," Seymour said. The girl now stepped up.

"I'm Cassie, and my Pansage is gonna win!" she declared.

It took a bit of strategy, but Oshawott managed to defeat the Pansage as well.

"Thank you for battling them, Mei! I can see you battle very well!" Alder said happily.

He stroked his chin again. "Your style mimics Touko's almost exactly."

Mei was surprised. For two people, both who knew Touko, to say her style was like hers...

"T-thank you, sir. Now, I'll be going. I need to get my first Gym Badge!" Mei said.

Outside, Mei saw a man standing in the yard. He wore glasses and a white coat. He also had a mustache.

"Oh! A new Trainer! Here!" he pressed a box into a startled Mei's hands.

"Well, now! Let me explain what this is! This is a Medal Box! What are Medals, you may ask? Well, Medals are-"

-One long, unnecessary explanation later—

"Well, try to earn 50 Medals! Good luck!" Mr. Medal said enthusiastically.

"Uh, thank you," Mei said. She turned around and started to walk off."

"OMG! YOU WALKED! Here's a Medal!" Mr. Medal shouted. He flung a medal at Mei.

Before she could get the heck outta there, Mr. Medal yelled, "OMFG! YOU CAUGHT A POKÉMON!

Here's another Medal! And like, 13 Hint Medals!"

Mei ran before he could give her any more medals.

Mei ran all the way back to Aspertia City. She bent over, completely out of breath. She finally

caught her breath and stood up. The tall building that was the Trainer's School loom din front of

her. It was extremely convenient living in the same city that the Trainer School resided in. She

stepped through the doorway, and proceeded to the back of the school. She knew from familiarity

that the Gym was at the back.

Outside in the very back was a giant field, with two battle fields. Two young children were facing

each other not far off. A boy that looked to be about 17 or 18 was standing between them. From

the back, Mei saw a large sprig of black-blue hair sticking up. The boy turned around. He

straightened his red tie. He had on a dress shirt and blue dress pants.

"Ah. You must be a challenger. I'm Cheren, the Gym Leader!" he said.

"Hey! I saw you on TV!" Mei said.

Cheren looked at her quizzically. "When?" he asked.

"U-Um…" Mei flustered. "Two years ago…you know…on that day."

"Ah. Yes. _That_ day. I remember fit." Cheren said calmly.

"Well, now if you can defeat these two, can can challenge me! I'll be waiting!" He straightened his

tie again, and walked off, leaving Mei standing there, a little shocked. She had heard about how

Cheren could be…a little difficult. She was surprised he reacted so calmly to her remark about that day.

"Hey! New challenger!" a voice said. It was the man in sunglasses Mei had seen at the front of the

gym, next to the podium that showed the names of Trainers who had earned the Gym Badge.

"I'm Clyde! Before you battle Cheren, take this Fresh Water! You can use it to restore your Pokémon's PP!"

"Thank you very much, sir!" Mei said, putting git in her bag.

She walked over to the boy Cheren had pointed out.

"If you can beat me, you will be one step closer to being able to challenge Cheren!" the boy said as

he sent out a Patrat in a burst of light.

"You can bet I'll get there! Let's do it, Oshawott!" Mei shouted.

Mei eventually made it to the large platform on which Cheren stood, but not before she had made

a quick trip to the Pokémon Center to heal up and buy supplies.

"Just as this is your first Gym challenge, this is my first Pokémon battle as a Gym Leader! Let's

both do our best and have a battle we can be proud of! And it looks like we even have a small

audience!"

Mei turned. A girl was sitting on one of the benches. She had a Mienshao with her. She wore

several shades of electric blue and had long, pitch black hair. She seemed to be watching Cheren

and Mei intently, waiting for them to engage in battle. And Mei wasn't about to let her down.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Mei felt a little light-headed. Was she rushing into this too quickly? Should she have trained some more? Maybe this wasn't a good idea... She felt someone's gaze

burning into her back. She turned towards the girl. She was looking evenly at Mei, her eyes cool and expectant. _Don't even think of backing down. You've come _

_this far, just to give up? Go for it._ Mei heard a voice sound in her head. Was it her gut? Whatever it was, Mei decided to listen to it.

"GO! OSHAWOTT!" she hollered. The blue otter burst out in a flash of bright light. He unclipped his scallop from his stomach and gripped it firmly.

"I see your Pokémon are raring to go. So are mine. GO, Patrat!"

"Oshawott! Use Focus Energy!" Mei instructed. Oshawott glowed bright yellow with increasing energy.

"Patrat, use Work Up," Cheren say calmly.

_I need to hit it now. Hopefully the attack will be critical._ Mei thought.

"Spiral Water Gun!" Mei shouted. Oshawott leaped at least 20 feet into the air, and started into a rapid-spiral spin. He unleashed a Water gun that sped toward

the Patrat like a torpedo. It slammed into the Pokémon, knocking it out. Out of the corner of her eye, Mei saw the girl sit up, looking much more interested.

"Hm," Cheren said, sending out a Lillipup. "As a Gym Leader, I aim to be wall for you to overcome!"

Mei was unfazed. "Ok. This Lillipup will be at least a couple levels higher. Water Gun!"

The Lillipup was blasted by the forceful jet of water. It shook its head, then slammed into Oshawott in a Tackle attack. Mei reached into her bag and pulled out a

Potion. After being healed, Oshawott was hit by another Tackle.

"Seriously. It's over now," Mei said. She pointed her finger towards her opponent, and Oshawott pushed itself forward into a Tackle that took out the Lillipup.

Cheren stared for a few seconds, then said, "This! This is what a real Pokémon battle is!"

He stepped down from the platform. The two kids ran up and started to heal his Pokémon. Cheren walked over to Mei. He handed her a small object shaped like a tall, thin, rectangle.

"This is the Basic Badge, your first badge. And THIS is TM 83. It contains Work Up."

"That was a very interesting battle," a voice said.

Mei and Cheren turned. The girl with the Mienshao was walking towards them.

"Now, it seems your Pokémon are completely healed. It just so happens that I also came here for a battle with you, Cheren. I would like to see your new fighting style," she said.

My new..fighting style?" Cheren said, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Yes. Not even the most experienced Trainers keep their battle style for over two years."

"Very well. I accept," Cheren said. He ascended up the platform once more.

"OK, Mien. You know the drill," the girl said to her Mienshao.

"Miiiiiiiiieeeeeeee!" The Pokémon cried, whipping its arms gracefully.

Cheren sent forth his Patrat, fully refreshed. It ran forward...and was soon back down on the ground almost as quickly. Mei looked, startled, at the girl. Her finger

was pointed at the Patrat, and her Mienshao's hand were smoking.

"Focus Blast," she said calmly.

_That was fast! I couldn't even see it!_ Mei thought in alarm.

Cheren looked equally startled. He sent out his Lillipup, who charged forward in Tackle attack. The Mienshao leaped out of the way with blinding speed.

"Curve!" Cheren shouted. The Lillipup, who had shot straight past the girl, turned on its heel and pelted towards the Mienshao. Mei realized the girl was right int

the path of the Lillipup. She opened her mouth to utter a warning, but before the could, the girl leaped out into the air, out of its way. The Lillipup closed in on the

Mienshao, it whirled around and hit the Lillipup with what looked like an Aura Sphere. It sank to the ground, knocked clean out.

Mei looked at her watch. The battle had lasted only a minute and a half. If the girl hadn't let her Pokémon dodge so much, Mei was sure it wouldn't have even

lasted a minute.

Cheren wore a look of shock.

"Well...I guess I need to give you a Basic Badge-"

"No thanks. I already have one from when Lenora was a Gym Leader."

Cheren narrowed his eyes at her.

"Who are you?" he asked.

The girl replied, "I'm just a Trainer traveling the regions, looking for someone."

"Who?" Cheren inquired.

"I'd prefer not to say," the girl answered.

"U-Um...excuse me, miss," Mei said timidly. "What's your name?"

Th girl turned. "Oh. I'm Thora, and this is Mien," she pet the head of her Mienshao, who purred in happiness.

"Actually, it's been a while since I've been to the Unova region. I'm looking for someone to travel with for a short while. If it is OK with you, Mei, may I travel with

you?" she asked the young teen.

"Me?!" Mei said, startled.

"Yes, you. I understand if you don't want to..."

"Oh, no! It's perfectly fine! I don't mind traveling with you at all!" Mei held up her hands.

"Oh, thank you very much. That's so kind of you." Thora bent down and scratched the head of Mei's Oshawott.

"You have such and adorable Oshawott. I can tell he's going to grow up to be very strong," Thora told her.

"Oh, thank you, Thora," Mei said. "We should get going to the Pokémon Center for supplies."

Thora walked with Mei out of the Trainer's School. She looked around, rubbing her necklace. Mei looked at it, curious. It was light blue, and shaped like...

"Lightning?" Mei asked, pointing to the necklace. Thora looked down at it.

"Hm? Oh yes. I've always been fascinated with lightning. It's so powerful and deadly," Thora said quietly.

Mei squirmed slightly. OK...that was a little...weird...

Mei didn't notice Thora looking up at the clouds, searching the vast skies...

For a glimpse of white and orange.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Thora and Mei were about to head out to Route 19 to continue to the next Gym.

"Hey, Mei! I have something for yooooou!" a voice called. Thora and Mei turned. Bianca was waving her arm frantically. They

turned and walked over to her.

"This is from me! It's the T M for the move Return." Bianca pressed a disc into Mei's hands.

"Oh my gosh! Thank you Bianca! I'll teach it to Oshawott and Nepeta right now!"

Bianca turned to Thora.

"What's your name?" Bianca asked.

Thora put out her hand. "I'm Thora. Nice to meet you."

Bianca took her hand and shook it rather enthusiastically.

"Did I miss something out here?" Cheren came walking down the steps of the Trainer School. Bianca froze, staring at him.

For several seconds, everyone was silent, staring at either Bianca or Cheren.

"Cheren?" Bianca whispered.

"Bianca?" Cheren said.

"CHEREN!" Bianca shouted. She ran forward and threw her arms around Cheren, almost knocking him over.

"B-Bianca! You're hugging to tightly!" Cheren gasped.

Bianca didn't even hear him. "I missed you so much! After Touko left, all I thought about was

you!" Bianca sobbed. "I love you, Cheren!"

Nobody moved an inch. Everyone just stood there in utter surprise at Bianca's comfession. Even a few passerby had stopped

and were staring at Bianca and Cheren.

Cheren was frozen in shock. He looked down at Bianca, who was still hugging him tightly and sobbing. Thora finally broke

the silence.

"Well, Cheren? What is your response to her confession of her love for you?" she said.

Cheren swallowed.

"I never thought I'd admit it. I CAN'T believe I'm saying this, but…I love you too, Bianca."

Bianca looked up, her eyes watery with tears. "R-Really?" he gasped.

"I always tried to make myself believe I was in love with Touko, not you. I tried to ignore what I truly felt for you and cover

up my feelings by berating your blunders. I'm sorry. I never should've tried to force myself to believe I loved Touko," Cheren said quietly.

"But Touko's in love with N!" Bianca said.

Cheren shut his eyes and shook his head. "I honestly don't understand what she sees in him…"

Mei sensed they were getting into a sensitive subject, but her curiosity got the best of her.

"Touko's in love with N?" she asked.

Cheren turned to Mei.

"She claims she isn't ever since he left, but she's a horrible liar," he said.

"You should've seen the way her eyes would light up when his name was even mentioned…" Bianca added, still clinging to

Cheren's arm.

"Excuse me. I hate to interrupt, but Touko was in Love with N Harmonia? The King of Team Plasma?" Thora asked.

"As crazy as it sounds, she IS in love with the leader of her enemy. Pretty weird, given how they battled almost every time

they ran into each other," Cheren explained.

"After the final battle, Touko confessed her feelings to him. He admitted he felt the same, then left. That crushed Touko."

"It broke her heart," Bianca said sadly. "As soon as we got back home to Nuvema, she cried her eyes out. It hurt so much

to watch her suffer like that."

Cheren put his arm around Bianca. "It was hard for both of us, seeing out best friend cry over a guy who left her after

admitting he loved her back," he said.

"If I ever see N Harmonia again, I swear-!" Bianca made a violent gesture in mid-air. Mei took a step back in alarm.

"I remember what happened next. Touko defeated the Champion and then left the Unova region to achieve more Final

Forms, correct?" Thora inquired.

"That's what she SAID. But Cheren and I had a feeling she was really…"

"Looking for N," Mei finished.

The four of them stood there silently for a while.

"Oh! That reminds me! Cheren and I should register our numbers in your Xtransciver! Professor Juniper's too!" Bianca

suddenly exclaimed.

She took Mei's Xtransciver, pushed a few buttons, then handed it back to Mei, with three new numbers in the contacts.

Thora turned to Cheren and Bianca. "It was a pleasure meeting you. I've quite a few times that the three of you were called

"Nuvema's Finest". Cheren was the brains, Bianca was the heart, and Touko was the soul of you three," she said.

Bianca giggled. "I remember that nickname! We called ourselves that all the time when we were younger! I sure do miss

those times…"

Mei and Thora said their good-byes, and promised to visit soon. They then set off to Virbank City, which, according to Mei's

Town Map, was where the second Gym resided.

Hey, Thora?"

"Hm?"

"What's your relationship with Touko? You seem to know a lot about her," Mei said.

Thora closed her eyes. "Out relationship is…rather complicated. You see…she created me."

Mei stopped dead in her tracks. "She WHAT?"

"I know it sounds impossible, but it's true. Touko beamed me, and three other girls, into existence using Zekrom's lightning.

She created us to stay behind and make sure that Team Plasma didn't try anything while she was gone. We are called the

Four Lightning Bolts, and for good reason. We carry many characteristics of lightning, the most obvious being our ability to

move impossibly fast, like she can in Deep Black Final Form. We look up to her as our master, and will do anything to protect

her and her ideals."

Mei's mind reeled. "A-Are you…human? Er-"

Thora grinned, then laughed. "Yes, I am as human as you are. Touko's desire to protect her home region breathed life into

us. We can feel emotions like anyone can. We can feel affection, happiness, and sadness. Now, when I heard rumors of people clad in black

with shield-shaped emblems on their chests, I decided I needed to seek Touko out to tell her what was happening. I'm looking for Touko."

"O-OK," Mei mumbled, clutching her head.

"Let's hurry to Virbank City. We can find a hotel and rest there. I'm sure you're tired. After all, you won your first badge and

your traveling partner just told you she was born from lightning!"

AN:

Well, I kinda killed all your guesses that Thora is Touko. Sorry if that upsets you. I finally was able to squeeze a RivalShipping moment in,

and a little bit about Touko's past. I might rewrite Bianca's confession, and add more to it, because some people said it as rather random.

More to come later, so hang tight!


End file.
